Lucien - Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony 5, Finale
I don’t listen to a lot of classical music but normally i find it enjoyable. This was the case, nice and epic tune that travels through several different moods, good instrumentation and good transitions.
Lolzeez - Built to Spill - I would hurt a fly
Well this song is…...depressing as fuck really and while I do sometimes enjoy the somber mood I really couldn’t listen to this song more than 2 ½ times. So I guess it succeeds the band’s goal but unfortunately that doesn’t make it any better for me
The Battle - Lucien comes into the battlefield with a great army and is surprised to see Lolzeez standing there just by himself. While he decides if sending his whole army against one guy would be seen as unfair Lolzeez takes a knife out and cuts his veins while crying
Winner - Lucien
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Dr. DTVT - Evergrey - King of errors
Boy this song is fun and powerful. The intro left me thinking that this could be something soft and peaceful but no, it immediately goes in yo’ face. I’ve been neglecting prog metal lately and this song really makes me wonder why. The vocalist does an amazing job, the keyboards provide a great ambience and the guitars are simple but very effective. And the chorus is so damn catchy.
Xenon - Plini - Sweet Nothingness
Fantastic jazzy vibe with an incredible instrumentation. The drums are simply mind blowing, a great display of technique and timing. The piano sections were also very nice and add a lot to the song. I do get a bit lost when the guitar comes in with the distortion changing the mood cause there’s not a good transition but it picks up a bit towards the end
The Battle - Dr. DVTV rides with his army of norse fighters down the hills, all thirsty for battle and blood. Xenon’s army doesn’t look like much really but when the fight starts his men show that what they lack in intimidation is compensated by their fighting skills. It is a bloody battle with men falling on both sides until it all comes down to the generals facing each other. Dr. DTVT goes at it with strength and heart, showing that after all the fight he still has energy left within him. Xenon puts a great fight and is determined to not fall down so easily but at the end of the day, the norse heart prevails.
Winner - Dr. DTVT
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Sacul - David Maxim Micic - Where is now?
The female vocals and the keyboards stand out to me as they have a very nice harmony. The guitar and drums are not very impressive yet both do a good job at setting the tone of the song. I usually appreciate the good use of violin in a song and while I liked it here I feel like it was thrown in there just because. The first half of the song really gets my attention but the second one falls a bit short.
Cheater.boy - Dec Burke - Signs of life
Quoting you: “Win if you can, lose if you must but always cheat”. As you mentioned, this sounds very Frost*y and you know I love Frost*. The keyboards and the vocals are great and the song is greatly crafted to be very intense even though it is clearly led by the keyboards.
The Battle - Sacul runs into the battlefield followed closely by his men, all dressed in shiny armor and ready to fight. Little does he know that Jingle.boy has rigged the game already. Before Sacul’s men are able to reach Jingle’s the floor starts trembling and braking, leading the army to fall into a bottomless pit while Jingle.boy sits in a throne laughing and eating cake.
Winner - Jingle.boy
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Seneca - Need - Mother Madness
I like the smooth intro and how the song goes into powerful mode right on, unfortunately that’s as far as it goes. I feel they are trying to be prog just for the sake of it and making the song lose any flow it might have. The chorus is nice the first time, the second times it feels a bit boring. I did enjoy the more mellow sections but overall I can’t grasp the song.
Lonestar - Dream the electric sleep - Utopic
Really nice intro which leads into a very smooth and enjoyable build up. After that the song goes a little stale for a while but manages to pick up when it goes upbeat. I enjoyed the singer’s voice, definitely the highlight in the song. The first solo is not very impressive but the second one while simple fits the song a lot better.
The Battle - Since Seneca and RJ know each other they go at it like real men and set to fight without any support, just a one on one, mano a mano. Seneca is young and fast and quickly gains the advantage on lonestar who seems a bit tired after working 80 hs in the past week. Seneca realizes he has an advantage and gets confident in his chances, a little too confident maybe since he fails to see RJ reaching into his apron pocket for some pepper. Next thing he knows his eyes are on fire and he’s blinded. RJ patiently gets behind him and stabs him with his biggest knife, chops him into pieces and starts thinking what he’ll have as a side dish for dinner...
Winner - Lonestar
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Scorpion - Flaming Row - Nightingales Chirp
Groovy and changing song with really good transitions, a powerful chorus and a great mix of vocalists. That bass had me almost jumping out of my chair, I just couldn’t stop moving to it’s rhythm. The only thing that threw me off a bit where the silences when the solo comes in but since it’s very brief and they pick it up quickly, it’s not that bad
GentlemanofDreaf - White Willow - Sunburn
Well, this song really brings me down into a dark place. It’s quite somber and has that slow pacing that feels like walking through a swamp. There’s some light in there provided by the female vocalist and a very fitting violin but to be honest I’m more of a happy music kinda guy.
The Battle - GentlemanodDread won the coin toss and got to chose the battlefield. Scorp’s army passes the hill and they find themselves looking at a dark, cold and quiet swamp. They stop and evaluate the situation as it seems that they are at a disadvantage here. Fortunately for him, as a good German, he’s always prepared and brings up his Napalm throwers to the front. Everything ends up quickly with shouts of pain as GoD’s creatures burn into the night.
Winner - Scorpion
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kingshmegland - Anubis - Blood is thicker than common sense
A surprisingly groovy song considering how prog it is. The first section is very good and complimented perfectly by the chorus. After that the song goes downhill, not drastically but it slowly turns less interesting. The last minute and a half could just be cut off.
Freezingpoint - Marco Sfogli - The Forest
Quite an impressive display of technique. I like the more jazzy start of the song, very mellow and enjoyable. The transitions are smooth and don’t break the flow of the song at any moment. I got a bit bored when he started soloing like crazy but then the ending of the song makes up for it. I enjoy a good display of technique but in the right amount.
The Battle - King’s men ride through the forest following their leader who as usual is pretty drunk and riding aimlessly while making dick jokes. His lieutenants look at each other worriedly and ask the King where they are heading. “To the battlefield” he replies and laughs again. Going deeper into the forest everything starts growing quieter and more calm, something that would normally make this men more alert but on the contrary they feel relaxed. Exactly what Freezingpoint was waiting for. While King’s men walk absentmindedly, arrows start coming down from the trees like lightning and men fall down from the branches attacking the surprised soldiers. The battle is a short one, with the King’s men falling, with him last, still laughing and making dick jokes.
Winner - Freezingpoint
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Tyrias - Susanne Sundfor - The silicone veil
As you said, you took quite a risk. At first I wasn’t sure how the song was gonna turn because the intro is just so soft and peaceful. It took a couple of listens for me to overcome my natural rejection for poppy sounding music but I ended up enjoying this a lot. Good use of the keyboards being supported by a very simple but effective percussion. And her voice, oh my gawd her voice...
TAC - Sun Caged - Shades of Hades
Nice prog metal tune, it has all the classic elements of the genre. Unfortunately they don’t go out of the, let’s call it “Cliche” prog metal tune much. I liked the little bass solo almost at the beginning, that was a nice touch.
The Battle TAC army of rabid men is sailing to the battlefield, the sea is calm, the sun is up and there are no clouds, it’s the perfect day for fighting. The shore is near when suddenly a melody comes out of nowhere, more beautiful than anything this men have ever heard. TAC is doesn’t fall under the spell but all of his men do so there’s nothing he can do to stop them changing course and heading towards the rocks where the sound is coming from. A single mermaid stands atop the highest rock singing her song and the men forget to stir the boat, crashing against the rocks. TAC jumps off the boat and tries to swim for the shore but he is caught by one of the many sharks that roam the siren’s rocks. Before being dragged deep into the water he curses his men and Tyrias, who sits comfortably in the beach having a mojito and enjoying the show.
Winner - Tyrias
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Adace - Threshold - Watchtower on the moon
Really good and powerful riffs, great use of the keyboards to provide background support and good vocals. The flow of the song seems a bit wrong but overall it’s an enjoyable song.
theseoafs - Surrendered
The Battle - Before the fight even started theseoafs announced that he was surrendering thinking he could easily escape death but he only managed to delay it. The ruler of the kingdom decided he would set an example to discourage this kind of behavior so he sent theseoafs to the darkest dungeon of his great castle where he was kept alive until he turned old, all the while having to watch twilight marathons, being awaken with Justin Bieber songs played at an almost deafening volume and occasionally being raped by Ron Jeremy.
Winner - Adace
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Winners go through to the next round. Remember, from now on it's a battle royal where songs will be scored each round and the lowest score gets eliminated. I didn't mention this before so I want to make it clear now, the score is summed up each round. That way none of you will be a slacker.
To everybody that got eliminated thanks for joining and sorry you couldn't go further. In some cases I was a prisoner of my own rules and had a hard time deciding who to let through.